Tritton AX Visor Universal Bluetooth car kit
Posted by Jack Cook on 06/16/08 in Accessories, Fuzesite, Mobilitysite Reviews, Wifi / Bluetooth
Reviewer: Jack Cook
Product: Tritton AX Visor Universal Bluetooth car kit
Manufacturer: Tritton Technologies, Inc
Price: MSRP $119.99 (significant discounts can be found on the web)
The devices we choose to use in our everyday mobile life are generally pretty cool and for the most part satisfy our needs but it is the “peripheral” devices that enhance the enjoyment of the device. One such “peripheral” that is fast becoming mandatory for all of us to have is a Bluetooth hands free car kit . Most states today already have mandatory laws on using cell phones while driving and each month, another state joins those ranks. I would expect that soon we will see all states will have some sort of law on the books regarding the use of cell phones while driving.
In April, TRITTON Technologies announced the arrival of their AX Visor Universal Bluetooth car kit. It is a state-of-the-art speaker phone with caller ID display and had both unidirectional and omnidirectional microphones making communication while on the road seamless. I liked the device and posted a news item referencing its characteristics.
Shortly after that news item, a representative from Tritton called and referenced several of the previous reviews I had done and asked if I would be interested in getting a review unit to look at. I indicated that I was interested and within a few days the AX Visor was at my door waiting for me to experience its capabilities.
The Package
The AX Visor is packaged in an off black color box with the device behind a clear plastic window. It had a surprisingly inviting appearance with its thin design. It is black in color and has a silver stripe around the unit giving it a nice appearance.
Opening the package, you find the AX Visor, a foldout user manual, a metal visor clip, an AC charger and a USB cable (that can be used for charging and for firmware updates). The unit is surprisingly light and has an angled design for the display allowing for easy viewing when resting flat on a desktop. After inserting the metal visor clip, you can appreciate the angled viewing a little better because it is now in an “upside down” position when attached to your car’s sun visor so the angle makes it quite easy for viewing.
So you might be asking if you have it flat on your desk and you can view the display, what happens when it is flipped upside down and attached to your visor? It’s simple, there is an automatic invertible display function that allows you the ability to see the display perfectly whether it is on a desktop or on inverted your visor … pretty cool and it works great too!
The AX Visor
Looking down on the top of the device you see the speaker, the angled display and a large MFB (Multi Function Button). I like the size of the MFB because it does not require a glance up to find it to press. The right side has a power switch and the left side has the volume control and a mute button.
The front of the device has two microphones. So why does it have two mics? It automatically detects between hands-free “car mode” and “speakerphone mode.” If you are in “car mode”, the unit will activate the unidirectional microphone, and if you are in “speakerphone mode”, the Omni-directional microphone is activated. The USB port is located in the front next to the microphones.
There is nothing in the back of the device and the bottom has a slotted groove for attaching the metal visor clip. I must tell you that it is a tight fit …. which is a good thing BTW. My preference would have been to have the visor clip attach by magnets for easy removal. If you choose to use it on your desktop as a speakerphone, it is a pain to have to struggle with the clip removal. A magnetic attachment would make that process seamless.
The Pairing/First Calls
OK, so I opened the box, took a couple of pictures and now I wanted to try it. I took a quick look at the manual (which uses very small print) to see what the process was for pairing. It is a surprisingly simple process. By sliding the power on and at the same time pressing the MFB, it instantaneously enters pairing mode. Starting the “add device” on my Pocket PC, it found the Tritton AX Visor quickly. Once selected, it automatically paired it in a matter of a second and gave a message that it was connected. I liked the speed and ease of pairing and I liked that I did not have to enter a PIN code. (note: The AX Visor supports headset and hands-free profiles with Bluetooth phones. Depending on your device, after pairing, you can listen to music via the AX Visor speaker.)
I made a couple of calls sitting at my desk and as expected, it was flawless. Call quality on my end was very good and those receiving the calls indicated that it was good. So the initial test was very positive but the real test was how it was going to be on the road while driving the highway. So I grabbed the AX Visor and my Q9m and was off for a little jaunt.
My initial driving on local streets heading towards the highway proved to be very good. I called home and my wife said it sounded great and she sounded terrific on my end. I was pleased with this part. When I hit the highway there is a significant difference in road noise so the question I had on each call was “how do I sound?” and the response for each call was that it was good to very good however the road noise did make it difficult to hear calls even with the volume up at its highest level. I wish that there was a bit more adjustment for call volume.
Although I can appreciate that volume and clarity is directly related to the size of the speaker, there has to be some compromise to allow for hearing clearly while in an environment with excessive noise.
Charging
Charging is a pretty simple process with the included AC charger and USB cord. My initial charge was pretty quick since it was already charged when I removed it from the box but I did top it off to make sure I was a peak performance. With normal usage, it has had terrific battery life. I find that if I bring it in from my car, I just plug it in to my PC via the USB cable. I would have liked to have seen included a DC car charger since I would expect that most folks might want to charge the device while on the road although with the excellent battery life, there is little fear of running out of power during the day.
When you plug in the charger, the display indicates that it is charging and when complete, a message is given that it is fully charged.
Basic Features
The AX Visor has a myriad of features that make the device worth looking at such as redial, Voice dial, call reject, microphone mute, call transfer and 3-way calling.
I must admit that I do like the display and its ability to “flip” depending on its position. Of course the initial display does not stay on for more than a few (10) seconds but the advantage is being able to see the caller ID appear while driving; I like that feature because I don’t have to pick up my device to see who is calling.
A quick glance up to the visor and I can decide if I want to take the call or let it go to voice mail. If I long click the MFB on an incoming call, it will go directly to Voice Mail. Overall I have been able to see the display clearly for incoming calls however I had some difficulty in very bright sunlight.
Because the power consumption is extremely low during standby, it is not necessary to turn the unit off. When you start your car, the vibration from the engine will cause the unit to automatically connect. There is a feature for “locking” the device when carrying it to prevent accidental button activation that can be enabled by pressing the MUTE/HOLD button with a long press.
Volume controls are easily adjusted with either short clicks for incremental adjustment or a long press for continuous adjustment. The Mute function button is next to the Volume control. Muting is engaged/disengaged with a long click. And for those times when you find it necessary to transfer a call to your handset, call transfer can easily be accomplished with a long click of the Mute/Hold button.
A long press of the MFB activates Voice dialing on my Motorola Q9m and I have had very positive results with voice recognition via the AX Visor. A short press of the MFB will redial the last number.
Conclusion
Overall this is a decent hands free car kit providing a variety of functions and features that enhance your ability to use your mobile device. I genuinely enjoy it as a speaker phone on my desktop and overall, I have liked it in the car while driving although with severe road noise I do believe that if it had more volume it would be significantly better.
The form factor is excellent and coupled with superior battery life (400 hours standby and 15 hours talk time); the Tritton AX Visor is worth considering as your hands free solution.
PROS
- Slim form factor
- Large Multi Function Button
- Lighted caller ID display
- Speakerphone function on desktop
- Excellent battery life
- Simple, easy pairing process
CONS
- Volume not enough in noisy road conditions
- Plastic tends to scratch on display
- Visor clip (I would have preferred a magnetic visor clip)
- No DC charger
Cost: $119.99 MSRP (a little searching on the net will result in some great prices that make this hands free solution worth considering)
Rating: Very Good
Visit the Tritton Technologies website here: http://www.trittontechnologies.com/
Features at a glance:
- Supports Bluetooth headset and hands-free profiles
- Supports hands-free car mode (unidirectional microphone)
- Supports speakerphone mode (omnidirectional microphone)
- High performance built-in speaker and dual microphone
- OLED for caller ID display
- Auto connect feature senses vehicle vibration and connects to the Bluetooth phone
- 15 hours of talk time and 400 hours of standby time
- Convenient charging via AC/DC adapter, cigarette jack or USB
Specifications:
- Standards: Bluetooth Specification 1.2
- RF Frequency Range: 2402~2480
- Profiles Supported: Headset, Hands-free
- Transmission Power: 0.25~2.5mW (Class 2)
- Receiver Sensitivity: L < -80dBm (Per 1%)
- Distance: 10m (in open space)
- Battery Type: Li-Ion Polymer 150mAH
- Battery Life: Stand by > 400hrs
- Talk Time: > 15hrs
- Charging Time: 3hrs
- Charging Voltage: DC +5V (USB)
- Button/Switch: Multi-Function Button,Volume Up/Down, Mute/Hold, Mode
- Weight: 63g
- Operating Temp: -10~+50oC
- Operating Humidity: 0~95%
Written by Jack Cook · Filed Under Accessories, Fuzesite, Mobilitysite Reviews, Wifi / Bluetooth
Tagged: AX Visor, Bluetooth, bluetooth car kit, car kit, hands free, TRITTON, Tritton AX Visor, Tritton Technologies
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Nice job, Jack! I appreciate you doing the heavy lifting on the review. I need a hands free device this one looks pretty good!
What a discovery?sound system on vibration of engine.Great to read.